Regensburger Photography

Tag: hiking

  • Gilpin Lake/Gold Creek Lake Loop

    I backpacked the Gilpin Lake/Gold Creek Lake loop in the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness otherwise known as the Zirkel Circle over the 4th of July. The trail is strenuous at times but provides some wonderful views and beautiful scenery for most of the hike. The NFS lists the distance for the loop at 11 miles but it is at least 2 miles longer than advertised so be prepared if you hike the entire loop.  I chose to hike the loop from Gilpin Lake to Gold Creek. The trail up to Gilpin Lake is generally steeper but converts the long uphill section from the trail junction  if you go the other way to a downhill section.  I started out from the Slavonia trailhead about 20 miles north of Steamboat Springs. I reached a trail register and the trail junction with the Gold Creek trail after .1 mile.  I signed in and headed left up to Gilpin Lake.  The first part of trail rambles through aspen forest.  A few large clumps of paintbrush grew close to the trail.  My next milepost was the wilderness boundary at 1.6 miles.  The trail follows a creek through open meadows and a wide glacial valley at this point. Hundreds of columbine were blooming near the trail at around the 2.5-3 mile mark. The trail climbs steadily but not too steeply thorough most of this stretch. Finally, I reached a stream crossing at around mile 5. From here, you been a steep ascent to Gilpin Lake over the next .75 mile. There is really no good camping spots from the water crossing to the lake due to the steepness of the terrain.  Finally, I reached Gilpin Lake after 4 hours of hiking.

    Gilpin Lake is one of the jewels of the Rocky Mountains. It surrounded almost entirely by mountains.  The lake is relatively shallow which made for great reflection shots at sunset and sunrise. I wandered around the near shore of the lake and found a primitive trail that led down the back side of the lake past the outlet. Some beautiful cascades can be found here. I set up my tripod on the far side of the lake and waited for sunset.  I was not disappointed. The mountains above the lake glowed red in the setting sun, aided by smoke in the air from forest fires burning in southern Colorado. I also cast out a fishing line and snagged a couple of small brook trout while I took int he view. In the morning, I walked along the east side of the lake and watched the sun light up the peaks to the south. What an amazing scene.

    Around 8:30, I headed up to the saddle above Gilpin Lake. It its a steep, half-mile ascent to the saddle but not nearly as bad as some passes in Colorado can be. The view from the top is spectacular.  Big Agnes mountain looms large behind the lake when viewed from this direction. I then headed down the pass toward the Gold Creek trail. This is a long, steep descent as previously noted.  After about a mile, I came to the junction with the Gold Creek trail. The trail then follows the creek down valley to the right. Gold Creek is a narrower, tree-filled valley. The shade was welcome given the heat of the day beginning to build. I came to Gold Creek Lake after 2 miles. It is a pretty, forested lake. It has excellent fishing for brookies, BTW. The long slog bak to the trailhead now begins. The trail descends along Gold Creek and passes a couple of large waterfalls.  There are also a couple of difficult stream crossings along the way. There are logs but if you don;t like the tight rope act with a pack on, wading might be the better option. On one of them, I ended up fighting a fir tree near the start. After a seemingly endless 4 mile hike, I reached the trailhead, exhausted.

    Directions to the trailhead. 

    Drive 18 miles north of Steamboat on RD 129. Then turn right onto Seedhouse Road.  Drive 12 miles along the half paved, half dirt road to the end to reach the Slavonia trailhead.  Trail 1161 leads to Gilpin Lake.   Although many people hike the trail, few backpack it.  Solitude can be found while camping.  One word of caution. Camping is restricted 1/4 from the lake. You’ll have to head out a ways from the trail to find camping spots.   

  • Sky Pond

    I hiked to Sky Pond in Rocky Mountain National Park earlier this week.  The lake lies at the foot of the Sharksteeth, some jagged mountains near the Continental Divide in Rocky Mountain National Park. Along the way, there are numerous waterfalls to see and a couple of beautiful lakes. The trail starts at the Glacier Gorge trailhead off the Bear Lake Road.  I got to the trail at 6:30 so I was able to find parking in the small lot.  The first big attraction on the trail is Alberta Falls. The sun was just peeking over the canyon rim at 7:00 so it was luckily still in shade.  I snapped a quick photo and then headed up the trail about 1.2 miles to where it divides with the Mills Lake trail. I veered right toward the Loch. The trail climbs steeply up some switch backs before reaching the lake in about .7 of a mile. The Loch is a pretty lake which often has nice reflections on it. It also had some nice trout surfacing so wish I had had my pole with me. I hiked onward about a mile until I came to Timberline Falls.  The last .5 mile of trail went up some steep rock stairs to reach the falls. I love Timberline Falls. It is one of the prettiest waterfalls in the park. I climbed down below the first part to take in the whole falls.  What a scene with the pure blue sky behind it. I then had to scramble up the right side of the falls. This isn;t normally a hard scramble but the falls were high so I got a little wet navigating them this time around. Once over the falls, I took in the scene of Lake of Glass. With the breeze picking up, it didn’t have much of a reflection per its namesake, but it was still very scenic. I then climbed above the lake to the right up in the rocks and made it the last 1/2 mile to Sky Pond. There aren;t too many lakes prettier in Colorado, that’s for sure.

  • Picket Wire Canyon

    I have been meaning to hike Picket Wire Canyon near La Junta, CO for some time now, but I kept putting it off.  I finally went down there to do a hike to the dinosaur tracks.  The wait was worth it.  The hike is a long one but the canyon is very green compared to the surrounding landscape. The wildflowers were also blooming in abundance due to some recent spring rains.  

    The Hike

    The trail starts at the Withers trailhead about 45 minutes south of La Junta.  The trail quickly descends into the canyon from the parking lot and loses about 250 feet in elevation.  Once in the main canyon, wildflowers dot the landscape including prickly primrose, sunflowers, and cholla cactus.  An old ranch house is reached after a mile.  The next landmark is a cemetery located 3.7 miles from the trailhead.  In this stretch of trail, views open up of the canyon and the Purgatory River below.  The dinosaur tracks are found another 1.5 miles down the trail.  Several Brontosaurus tracks tracks can be seen here.  An even bigger collection can be found just across the river, but due to high water, I decided not to wade it.  The hike is 11.6 miles round trip.  There is very little shade so bring plenty of water.  

    Directions

    Picket Wire Canyon is located south of LaJunta.  Take highway 109 from La Junta and turn onto the signed dirt road top the right after 13 miles.  The road will turn at mile 8 toward the canyon.  Follow this road for 6 miles.  One final turn is required and this road goes 3 miles to the trailhead.  The way is well-signed.  

  • Fern Lake

    I hiked up to Fern Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park this weekend.  I saw some beautiful waterfalls along the way and enjoyed fishing in the lake. The underbrush and ferns had started to turn so I saw some fall color as well. Unfortunately, I also dropped a neutral density filter into Fern Falls and watched it drop over a small cliff.  Luckily, I found a game trail down to the bottom and retrieved my filter from where it had lodged the rocks.  Thankfully, I had dropped the filter in its case so it was no worse for wear.  Whew!  Breakthrough filters are not cheap.

    Fern Lake Trail

    The trail starts at the end of the Moraine Park Road in Rocky Mountain National Park.  Parking is scarce so get there early.  The trail climbs gradually for the first two miles before it reaches the pool along the Big Thompson River.  This is the first of a couple of nice waterfalls.  Then the fun begins.  The trial climbs steeply above the Pool for the next mile before reaching beautiful Fern Falls.  This is one of the best falls in the park.  I can’t wait to go back next spring when it is fuller.  If it’s possible, the trail gets even steeper on its way to Fern Lake.  After about a mile, it finally level off and leads to a trail divide.  Take the short spur to Fern Lake and you will be rewarded with a beautiful spot for a picnic or fishing adventure.

     

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